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No. 6|5,832. Patented Dec. la, |898.

J. .1. FIELDS, Jn. y

TILE FL00 (Application filed June 3, 189B.)

(No Model.)

. mvENToR ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOIIN J. FIELDS, JR., OF NEWv YORK, N. Y.

TILE FLOORING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,832, dated December 13, 1898.

Application iiled June 23, 1898. Serial No. 684,230. (No model.)

To a/Z whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, JOHN J. FIELDS, Jr., residing at New York, in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and `useful Improvements in Tile Floorings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tile fioorings, and has for its object to produce a tile flooring especially adapted for use upon the decks of steamers.

It is well known that tile flooring on the decks of steamers is liable to be displaced by reason of 'the fact that the deck changes its shape under stress. The iiooring which I have devised will remain in place under the varying conditions of practical use.

My invention will be understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a plan view of a fragment of flooring embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective of one of the tiles constituting the fiooring, the same being hereinafter referred to as the male tile. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 S of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the female tile of the flooring. Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a section on line 7 7 of Fig. 5.

By referring to the drawings it will be evident that the male tile a is provided with ribs a a2 a3 a4. The ribs a" a2 are dovetail in cross-section, as will be clearly apparent from Figs. 2 and 3, and the ribs a3 a4 are straight in cross-section. It will be observed that the ribs a a2 are on opposite edges of the tile a and the ribs a3 a4 are likewise upon opposite edges of the said tile.

Before proceeding I would have it understood herein that the ribs a a2 may be made in other shapes, and by using the word dovetail I do not mean to thereby limit myself to the actual dovetail shape shown, but by the said word I mean to describe a structure shaped in such manner as to lock the correspondingly-shaped female tile so that the tiles cannot be separated from each other except by sliding the rib a or agin the female tile longitudinally of said rib, and wherever in the specification I employ the word dovetail I desire to have it understood that the above-mentioned interpretation should be placed upon the term. The ribs a3 a4 need not be rectangular in cross-section, but may be of any desired section which will enable them to be pushed into the slot in the female tile Without the necessity of sliding them in longitudinally, as in the case of the dovetail rib, and wherever in the specification I employ the term fstraight in designating the said' ribs I mean to thereby include such structure.

To recapitulate, the ribs a a2 should be so shaped as to render it necessary to slide them into the female tile longitudinally, while the remaining ribs a3 a4 may iit into the female tile in any desired manner, so that the ribs a' a2 will prevent the tiles from separating and will hold the entire structure together in an efficient manner. p

The female tile b (shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7) is the complement of the male tile, being provided with dovetail grooves b b2 and straight grooves b3 b4, the words dovetail and straight being employed in similar senses as heretofore employed in the specilication. l

By referring to Fig. l the mode of tting the tiles together will be apparent, the dovetail ribs of the male tile sliding into the dovetail grooves of the female tile and the straight ribs of the male tile fitting into the straight grooves of the female tile.

In order to produce a symmetrical structure', the ribs a and a3 of the male tile are slightly shortened, as shown at a a, in order to leave a free corner a7 on the male tile.

It will be understood that the tiles are of a yielding character, being `preferably formed of rubber or other suitable yielding material.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let= ters Patent, is-

1. A tile structure comprising male and fe male tiles locked together, the male tile being provided with dovetail ribs at its edges and with straight ribs, and the female tile being provided with complemental dovetail and straight grooves at its edges, the dovetail ribs of the male tiles sliding in the dovetail grooves of the female tiles and being locked therein and the straight ribs of the male tile entering the straight grooves of the female tile whereby a coherent structure is produced,

IOO

substantially as described and for the pura poses set forth.

2. As :L new and useful article of manufacture, a male tile of yielding material provided 5 at its edges with dovetail and straight ribs,

substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

3. As :t new :md useful article of manufacture a. female tile of yielding material pro? vided with dovetal and straight grooves at 1o its edges and adapted to receive corresponding ribs of male tiles.

JOI-IN J. FIELDS, JR. Vitnesses:

GEo. E. MORSE, MAURICE BLOCK. 

